Habits. They make or break us. Maybe you've heard the quote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.”
And you may know that sleep is really important for our health. Even if your life is anything but routine in other ways, this is one area where it pays handsomely to establish a routine, or at least a small set of rules that you follow faithfully.
The importance of sleep
Sleep is the foundation of your physical health. The list of complications due to lack of sleep include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Not to mention that when you’re sleepy, you’re more prone to backing your car into a telephone pole, or worse.
Poor sleep has been linked to depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and ADHD, as well as trouble with thinking, learning, and memory.
During the day
Remember when we showed you how to exercise like a baby? Exercise can help your body get a good night’s sleep. Sleep researcher Shawn Youngstedt says exercise is way better than sleeping pills:
“Sleeping pills are extremely hazardous,” Youngstedt said. “They are as bad as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Not to mention they cause infections, falling, and dementia in the elderly, and they lose their effectiveness after a few weeks.
“It’s less expensive, healthier, and just as easy to exercise,” he said, “and there’s an added bonus: Research suggests those who are physically active a have lower risk of developing insomnia in the first place.”
Caffeine can inhibit the ability to fall asleep. Different people have different tolerances, but caffeine can still inhibit sleep up to 10 hours after consumption. Drink your caffeinated beverages before noon so you can metabolize it out of your system before bed. But if you’ve been using it to stay up to cram for a test or have had it later in the day, you can do a few things to help metabolize it quicker. Drinking plenty of water and exercising can help clear it quicker.
Although alcohol may help you get to sleep faster, it interrupts your REM cycle, affecting the quality of your sleep. Try to stop drinking at least 3 hours before bed and drink plenty of water to clear it out of your system.
“Sleep is essential to every process in the body, affecting our physical and mental functioning the next day, our ability to fight disease and develop immunity, and our metabolism and chronic disease risk. Sleep is truly interdisciplinary because it touches every aspect of health.”
This video goes over the basic of sleep hygiene. Try not to let the soothing voice lull you to sleep!
In the evening
Dim the houselights. This is a natural cue that the day is done and that it’s time to start winding down. Make your room as dark as possible. Use black out curtains or eye patches if necessary.
Get off screens two hours before bed. Blue light from screens can disrupt our production of melatonin and inhibit sleep. If you must be on a screen, turn on your device’s blue light filter.
Cultivate as much quiet as you can. Put in earplugs or use a white noise machine or run a fan if there is ambient noise you can’t get away from.
Come visit us at Parkside
Working towards an optimal sleep routine is an important way to take care of yourself. Whether you’re healing from an injury or just trying to be happier, regularly getting a good night’s sleep can make a huge difference overall health. We are here to help with expert chiropractic and massage. Make an appointment, or if you have any questions, contact us.